Setup a User Name Alias as an Alternative to Changing Account Names in Mac OS X

If you don’t want to deal with the lengthy process of changing the short user name in Mac OS X, an alternative is to setup user name aliases. A user name alias functions as a simple way to create a shorthand version of an account name. For example, if a users full account name is “Boba Fett the Bounty Hunter” they could setup an alias for “BF” or “boba” and just login with the shortened version instead.

Setting up User Name Aliases in Mac OS X

This is a much easier process than changing the actual user account name:

Open System Preferences and click on “Accounts”

Click on the lock icon in the lower left corner to unlock the Accounts panel and be able to make changes, enter your administrator password when asked

Right-click on the user name you want to setup an alias for and select “Advanced Options”

Click on the “+” sign at the lower portion of the Advanced Options panel to add a new user name alias to the account. You can enter multiple aliases, and they can be longer or shorter than what the actual account name is.

Click on “OK” when you are finished adding account aliases

You will now be able to login from the various Mac OS X lock screens including standard logins, user account switching, or screen savers, with the shortened user name alias. This is obviously not the same as changing the actual user name, but for just creating an abbreviation or for a minor adjustment for aesthetic reasons (changing text case, etc), this will work.

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